Principal's report 

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung People of the Kulin nation; past, present and those who will walk with us into the future.

We acknowledge the rich and unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas, educational practices and the hopes of all First Nations Peoples. We do this in the spirit of reconciliation as we move to a place of justice and partnership - together we work, learn, play and care for one another and this land.

School Camp

Last week I was very fortunate to go and spend Thursday on camp with our Year 5 and Year 6 students and our incredible staff who went along to the camp with them. This was absolutely a highlight of the school year for so many students and staff, and memories were formed over the three days of camp that will be looked back on for a lifetime.

Over my twenty years in teaching and school leadership, this was one of the best school camps I have ever been to.

I was so incredibly proud of the behaviour, teamwork, and bravery that our students demonstrated on camp. All students stepped out of their 'comfort zone' to make the most of this camp experience. For some, that meant going on the Giant Swing, Zip Line, or Leap of Faith, for others, it was just sleeping away from home or even just getting on the bus.

Being on camp reminded me of the talent and dedication of our teachers and ES staff members. Their skill and kindness supported students to make the most of this opportunity and enabled students to make great social and emotional growth. Providing support, coaching, and encouragement for students to be resilient and use teamwork to support their peers is so important.

The students also reminded me to get out of my own 'comfort zone' on camp and be brave. I am quite scared of heights, but when the students encouraged me to go on the Giant Swing I had to give it a go. I didn't hide away from them the fact I was scared and nervous. 

Despite these nerves I went all the way to the top, yanked the rope and my heart was beating a million times a minute during the initial free fall. As I swung back on forth and it gradually got lower, I felt that same sense of relief and pride that we all got as kids when we did something that was really challenging. 

You may have seen some recent articles in the media about many schools opting out of going on school camps in 2023. The new Victorian Government Schools Agreement has made school camps extremely difficult to fund. Teachers and Education Support Staff are now paid Time in Lieu for the extra hours of work they do on camp (rightly so!), but schools are not receiving any additional funding for this.

At Kalinda all of our camps (Yr 3, Yr 4, Yr 5/6) will all be going ahead in 2023. We are finding a way to make this work (even though that is challenging) as we know that camps mean so much to our students. Providing opportunities for children to grow, be brave and develop their resilience is absolutely invaluable.

2023 Enrolments

For any families in our community with younger siblings planning to come to begin at Kalinda in 2023, we would ask that you please submit their enrolment form as soon as possible. This allows us to begin planning for 2023.

Shaun McClare,

Principal 

Kalinda Primary School

We are kind. We are resilient. We are respectful.